One world for all your campaigns, or do you set campaigns in different settings each time?

[SkidAce]

I run a generative ruleset / code behind the screen D&D game, but I run a different one every campaign, at least so far. I look at it like how other DMs spend years improving their campaign worlds except mine is improving the game design specifically to smooth game play, cover more ground with fewer rules, increase the top challenge levels, implement ingenious strategies I've learned (usually from my players), and so on.

The campaign setting and all the elements of the setting can largely be taken from other designs like previous run campaigns though. Even the adventures can be reused, but I would need to convert them to the new campaign and system. Sometimes a lot of this comes from the players though, sometimes not. It depends on the players, but it is a good idea to have a lot of prepared material on hand so not everything needs to be remade from scratch.

Yes, I evolve mine and update it ti whatever version of the rules or houserules we are currently using. It has seen Basic, AD&D, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, FATE, Hero System, and Palladium.


"One World to rule them all, One World to find them,
One World to bring them all and in the darkness bind them".

 

[fjw70]

Back in the 80s I pretty much just used Greyhawk, except for the one time I ran the original DL modules. When I started DMing again a few years ago I started with GH but quickly switched to the 4e PoL setting and I am on my third campaign set there. I try to connect the campaigns when I can. One of the current PCs is the niece of a PC from the previous campaign.


When the current PCs get to epic level I plan to have the PCs rescue several PCs from the previous campaign and join forces to take down Orcus.

 

[MerricB]

One of the features of worlds like Greyhawk, Golarion and the Forgotten Realms is that you have a large number of cultures in those worlds, even with their own pantheons. And - especially for Greyhawk per '83 - they're often not defined that strictly.

So my campaigns tend to get set in different areas of the world, taking on different characteristics; though I'm not really enough of a world-builder to change their nature utterly.

Thus, the Ulek campaign I ran was distinguished by the Druidical tone of the adventure (admixed with a fair portion of Moorcock's second Corum series); the Greyhawk campaigns tend towards classic D&D dungeoncrawling play, and the current Frost Barbarian game, despite having a lot of very old-school megadungeon elements, also has a thread with the Barbarians being great explorers, traders and occasionally raiders. And the Norse Giants vs Men thread.

The Great Kingdom campaign was great for all its political intrigue.

Cheers!

 

[Scrivener of Doom]

I've been using FR almost exclusively for 20+ years now, with short detours to Greyhawk once and Oathbound another time.

However, I do have something of a gaming bucket list: I really want to run a Dark Sun campaign (involving the attempted rise of a sorcerer king to replace Kalak), an Eberron campaign (involving the creation schema and the quori [?] trying to enter the world by possessing warforged), and even a classic Greyhawk campaign (which would include Expedition to the Barrier Peaks). And on top of those, I plan to "retire" with the ultimate Midnight campaign.

However, we're still enjoying FR and we all know it reasonably well, but none of us have kept up with the novels which is the only way to run FR and retain both your sanity and creativity.

As for 5E, I have no interest in Next/Previous/Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition as a ruleset and, as far as I can tell, The Sundering is going to be one of those RSEs which I will despise. I'll stick to the 4E version of FR and, if that well runs dry, go back to the 3E version, but I will either use 4E or 13th Age. My days of buying the "official" version of D&D seem to have come to an end after 33 or so years....

 

[KirayaTiDrekan]

My current campaign is Frankenstein's monster mish-mash of all of my previous homebrew settings and every published setting since I'm using it for my "Everything D&D Ever" campaign. It has some elements that I've been using since I created my first setting in 1988 or so.

I do have a fondness for world building, though, even if I never use half the things I come up with. I used to roll on the random tables in the old World Builder's Guide book for fun, occasionally using the results for an adventure or three.

I've also run campaigns in the Known World/Mystara, Ravenloft, Dark Sun, Forgotten Realms, and Dragonlance.